Stripper-crimper device



Nov. 24, 1970 B. HILLS 3,541,654

I STRIPPER-CRIMPER DEVICE Filed June 26, 1968 4 sheets-sheet 1 INUENTOR BRUCE HlLLS av W w B. HILLS STRIPPER-CRIMPER DEVICE Nov. 24, 1970 Filed June 26, 196E 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 24, 1970 B. HILLS 3,541,554

STRIPPER-CRIMPER DEVICE Filed June 26, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet s WEI-TIA 15-51-73 JNVENTOP BQucr-z H\\ LS By. W X

United States Patent STRIPPER-CRIMPER DEVICE Bruce Hills, Auburn, New South Wales, Australia, assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed June 26, 1968, Ser. No. 740,143 Claims priority, application Australia, Aug. 11, 1967,

Int. Cl. B23p 23/04; H01r 43/04 U.S. Cl. 2933.5 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end portion of an insulated wire and crimping a U-section electrical ferrule-forming part of an electrical contact to the bared end portion of the wire.

The invention consists in apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end portion of an insulated wire and crimping a U-section electrical ferrule forming part of an electrical contact to the bared end portion of the wire comprising a table to support a strip of electrical contacts joined side by side and means for moving said strip one connector at a time into a working space above the table, a silde oscillatable axially in a direction parallel to the plane of the table into and out of the working space, the slide having an axial hole and an entrance thereto at one end of the slide, the hole accommodating a pair of spring loaded stripping blades, the arrangement being such that on the end of an insulated wire being inserted into the entrance the insulation thereof is engaged by the stripping blades in such a manner that on movement of the slide out of the working space the blades act to strip a portion of insulation from the end of the wire, means arranged opposite said end of the slide to prevent axial movement of the wire during the stripping operation, a ram oscillatable along an axis at right angles to the axis of the slide into and out of the working space, the ram carrying at its end a composite tool constructed and arranged so that during a stroke of said ram into the working space the tool acts to move the stripped end of a wire previously subjected to said stripping operation into the U-section ferrule of an electrical contact positioned on an anvil on the table in the working space and thereafter to crimp the ferrule about the wire and to sever the electrical connector from the strip of electrical connectors, means to initiate a cycle of operations of the apparatus and means to power and coordinate the cycle of opera: tions.

An object of the invention is to provide a strippercrimper device having a stripping means in axial alignment with the crimping means so that a wire to be crimped in a connector has its end stripped at the crimping area by the stripping means and then crimped onto the connector by the crimping means.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a stripper-crimper device wherein the means for operating the crimping means also operates the stripping means to strip an end of a wire prior to the stipped end of the wire being crimped onto a connector.

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A further object of the invention is to provide a stripper-crimper device wherein the means for operating the stripping means includes means to maintain the stripping means out of the path of the crimping means during the operation of the crimping means.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a stripper-crimper device wherein the stripping-blade means are spring biased to a position adjacent an entrance of an opening in the stripping means into which the end of the insulted wire to'be stripped is inserted and the stripping-blade means are moved via the insertion force of the wire to a position to engage the insulation of the wire which insulation is removed upon movement of the stripping-blade means away from the area of crimping.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a stripper-crimper apparatus which is particularly simple in construction while being effective in use.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

For a better understanding of the invention a preferred embodiment of the invention will not be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end portion of an insulated wire and crimping a U-section electrical ferrule forming part of an electrical contact to the bared end portion of the Wire.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic sectional -view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 taken on a hori zontal plane and illustrating the operation of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic side elevational view partly in section of the apparatus of FIG. 1 illustrating the operation of the apparatus;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show front and enlarged side elevational views respectively of a detail of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing part of a strip of electrical power plug tabs arranged in side-by-side strip form, and a slugging punch, guide finger and crimping die of the apparatus; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the operating mechanism of the apparatus.

The preferred form of the invention is intended particularly for stripping the insulation from the individual insulated wires of a flexible power cord and by means of a crimping operation attaching a power plug tab to the stripped end of each wire. It will be appreciated, however, that apparatus according to the invention may be used in other applications.

The apparatus, which is mounted on a base 1, consists basically of a power actuated press having a vertical ram 2 (FIG. 1) which can be oscillated in a vertical direction into and out of a working space 4 (FIGS. 3 and 6). Such presses are well known and are used for the operation of crimping connectors to the ends of wires. Immediately below and extending to one side of the working space 4 is a table 6 along the surface of which may be fed between guides 8 a continuous strip 9 (FIG. 5) of power plug tabs 10 (FIGS. 3 and 5) attached in side by side relationship by short joining sections in the form of metal slugs 12, each tab being provided at its base with a U-section ferrule 14 adapted to be crimped onto the end of a wire. The strip 9 is held in position between the guides 8 by a spring loaded pressure pad '15. A cam operated feed finger 16 is provided to feed forward the strip 9 of tabs 10 one by one into the the working space 4 so that during each cycle of operation of the apparatus a new tab is fed forward to the appropriate position so that its ferrule 14 lies on a crimping anvil 18. For a more complete description of the strip feed means reference may :be made to US. Pat. No. 2,690,562.

The working space 4 is enclosed on the face nearest to the operator by means of a transparent guard 20 through which the operator can observe the action of the apparatus and below the guard 20 is provided an aperture 22 into which one insulated wire W1 of a cable C may be introduced, the other wire W2 being bent back so as to lie against the outer face of the guard 20. In this particular form of the invention the guard 20 includes a spring loaded stop plate 24 which is associated with a micro switch 26 in such a manner that if the operator presses the end CE of the cable C against the stop plate 24 it is displaced to operate the micro switch 26 and thus initiates a cycle of operation of the apparatus. It would however be possible to provide, in an alternative construction, a foot operated switch (not shown) by means of which the operator could set the apparatus in motion.

Within the working space 4 is provided a horizontal slide 28 which can be moved in a slide housing 30 in a horizontal direction at right angles to the direction of movement of the strip 9 of tabs and into and out of the working space 4, by means of the mechanism of FIG. 6 to be described in greater detail hereafter. The inactive position of the slide being determined by the axial position of a spring-biased adjusting screw 34. The slide 28 is provided at its forward end 36, that is to say the end nearest the operator, with an opening 38 to an axial hole 40 which passing through the length of the slide, is opposite to the aperture 22 in the guard 20 so that when the wire W1 is introduced into the aperture 22 its end passes into the axial hole 40 in the slide. To assist this process the opening 38 of the axial hole is tapered outwardly so that the tapering walls of the opening 38 provide a guide for the incoming wire W1. The axial hole has an enlarged cross-sectioned portion 42 enclosing a coil spring 44, the outer end 46 of which bears against a collar 48 engaging an opposed pair of stripping jaws or blades 50 (FIG. 2) pivotable about pins 52 and having notches 54 (FIGS. 4A and 4B) at free ends to form a circular stripping hole into which the insulated end of the wire W1 may pass after its introduction into the opening 38. The collar 48 has a recess 48a for receiving the jaws 50.

The stripping jaws 50 lie in a radially-extending passage 56 at right angles to the axial hole 40, which passage provides space for the movement of the jaws. The jaws 50 are arranged so that, when the insulated end of the wire W1 is inserted, they are displaced against the force of the coil spring 46 mentioned above to enter the recess 48a in the collar 48, the edges of the notches 54 however resting on the surface of the insula tion of the wire W1 and being caused to bite into it by the action of the spring 46. The result of this is that when the slide 28 is moved so as to withdraw it (FIG.2) from the working space 4, the edges of the notches 54 of the stripping jaws 50 bite into the insulation and sever it from the enclosed wire. The newly severed portion SP of the insulation passes down the axial hole 40 and acts to displace previously severed portions SP1 which eventually pass out of the axial hole 40 at its rear end and fall through an aperture 58 in the slide 28.

As the slide 28 is withdrawn from the working space 4, it leaves the stripped end of the wire W1 projecting into the working space 4, the wire end lying immediately 4 above the U-section ferrule 14 of a tab 10 lying on the anvil 18 immediately below the working space 4 (FIG. 3). Simultaneously to the backward movement of the slide 28, the vertical ram 2 descends into the working space 4 and then rises to its starting position to complete one cycle of operation of the apparatus. The stripped wire is stripped in axial alignment with the connector in which it is to be crimped and spaced in position for crimping with the connector.

The ram 2 carries at its lower end a composite tool 59 which consists of a crimping-die portion 60 having a U- shaped crimping opening 62 which is positioned so as to embrace the U-section ferrule 14 of the tab 10 on the anvil 18 and crimp the sides of the ferrule 14 down onto the bared wire end. The opening 62 also fulfills the action of deflecting the bared end of the wire W1 downwardly into the ferrule 14 prior to carrying out the crimping action. Adjacent to the crimping opening 62 on the end of the crimping portion 60 are a guide finger 64 and a slugging punch '66. The punch 66 and the finger 64 are aligned with each other but are offset in relation to the axis of the wire W1 so that, whereas the axis of the wire W1 coincides with the axis of the ferrule 14 the finger 64 is aligned with the space S between the tab to be attached to the wire W1 and the adjacent tab 10 of the strip 9 of tabs. As the finger 64 descends, it passes into the space 4 and thus ensures accurate alignment of the tab 10 to which the wire W1 is to be attached. The slugging punch 66 then acts to sever the tab from the strip 9 of tabs by punching out the slug 12 from between the tab to be attached to the wire W1, and the next adjacent tab of the strip 9 (FIG. 5), this occurring as the crimping opening 62 acts to crimp the ferrule onto the wire W1. Fixed shear plates (not shown) are provided on the table 6 to cooperate with the punch 66 in this operation.

The actuating rod is pivotally connected to the bell crank 101 of a conventional main driving mechanism to operate ram 2 of the apparatus. A cam member 102 is afiixed to the end of actuating rod 100 and it has an extension 103. Actuating arm 104 is pivotally mounted onto the frame of the apparatus and has a cam follower 105 in the form of a roller intermediate its ends. Spring 106 biases arm 104 so that cam follower 105 engages cam member 102. Connecting link 107 is pivotally connected between the lower end of arm 104 and stripper slide-actuating rod 108. Thus, as rod 100 moves downwardly at a faster rate than ram 2 because of its position on bell crank 101, cam follower 105 moves along cam member 102 and onto extension 103 causing arm 104 to move against the bias of spring 106 thereby retracting slide 28 via link 107 and rod 108 which causes the stripping action to take place. The reason that rod 100 moves at a faster rate than ram 2 is that it is necessary that slide 28 has to move out of the path of travel of ram 2 while ram 2 is descending. The movement of cam follower 105 along extension 103 assures that slide 28 does not move back into the path of the crimping operation while this operation is in progress.

A cycle of operation of the apparatus is now completed and the wire W1 with the tab crimped to it may be withdrawn from the aperture 22 and another wire inserted into the aperture 22. In the meantime the feed finger 16 will have moved the strip 9 of tabs one step so that the next tab of the strip comes into position in the working space 4 ready to receive the stripped end of the next wire.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objects have been achieved; however, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiment of the invention, which is shown and de scribed herein, is intended as merely illustrative and not as restrictive of the invention.

The invention is claimed in accordance with the following:

1. Apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end portion of an insulated wire and crimping a U-section electrical ferrule forming part of an electrical contact to the bared end portion of the wire comprising a table to support a strip of electrical contacts joined side by side, means for moving said strip one connector at a time into a working space along the table, a slide oscillatable in a direction parallel to the plane of the table into and out of the working space, the slide having an axial hole and an entrance thereto at one end of the slide, the hole accommodating a pair of spring-loaded Stripping blades for engagement with an end of an insulated wire upon the end of the wire being inserted into the entrance with the insulation thereof being engaged by the stripping blades, means connected to said slide to move same so that on movement of the slide out of the working space the blades act to cut through and strip a portion of insulation from the end of the wire, the axial hole being dimensioned to receive cut off portions successively, the cut off portions being passed longitudinally of the axial hole of the slide by successive stripping operations to be discarded at the end of the hole remote from the working space, a ram oscillatable along an axis at right angles to the axis of the slide into and out of the working space, means to operate said ram, the ram carrying at its end a composite tool constructed and arranged so that during a stroke of said ram into the working space the tool acts to move the stripped end of a wire previously subjected to said stripping operation into the U-section ferrule of an electrical contact positioned on an anvil on the table in the working space and thereafter to crimp the ferrule about the wire and to sever the electrical connector from the strip of electrical connectors, means to initiate a cycle of operations of the apparatus, and means to power and coordinate the cycle of operations.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said spring loaded stripping blades are mounted for movement about axes extending transversely of the insertion direction of the wire and are provided with notches having edges which bite into the insulation of the wire as a result of said movement of the slide out of the working space.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which spring means urge the stripping blades to move in a direction to close the edges of the notches about the insulation of the wire, a collar carrying said spring means and engaging said blades, said collar having a recess for receiving the blades when displaced by the inserted wire end against the action of the spring means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said means for preventing axial movement of the wire comprises a guard having an aperture for admitting the wire end to the working space, the apertures being bounded along one side by a stop plate.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which the stop plate is resiliently displaceable towards the working space to operate a micro-switch constituting said means to initiate a cycle of operations of the apparatus.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said means to operate said slide and said means to operate said ram are commonly connected to said means to power and coordinate the cycle of operations.

7. An apparatus for stripping the insulation from an end of an insulated wire and crimping a ferrule of an electrical connector to the stripped end, said apparatus comprising crimping-die means including a movable crimping die and an anvil, means to move said crimping die towards and away from said anvil, an oscillatable slide means disposed in a path extending between said crimping-die means and having a wire-receiving opening therein, means to move said slide means along said path and out of the path of movement of said crimping die, stripping-blade means disposed in said wire-receiving opening, spring means in said wire-receiving opening biasing said stripping-blade means towards an entrance of said wire-receiving opening, means connected to said slide to move same so that on movement of the slide out of the path of movement of said crimping-die the blades act to cut through and strip a portion of insulation from the end of the wire, the wire-receiving opening being dimensioned to receive cut off portions successively, the out clf portions being passed longitudinally of the wirereceiving opening of the slide by successive stripping operations to be discarded at the end of the opening remote from the entrance of said wire receiving opening, and means for keeping said slide means out of the path of movement of the crimping die as it is moved towards and away from said anvil.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said spring means includes collar means engaging said stripping blade means, said collar means having recess means into which said stripping-blade means move during movement of said stripping-blade means via the end of the insulated wire.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said slide means includes means in communication with said wire-receiving opening to receive and carry the stripped insulation away from the strippingblade means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said wire-receiving opening includes guide surface means to guide the end of the insulated wire therein.

11. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said crimping-die means includes means to center the electrical connector onto said anvil and to sever the connector from a strip of connectors being successively fed into position between said crimping die and anvil.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,998,633 9/1961 Andren 29203 3,184,950 5/1965 Sitz 2920'3 X 3,376,627 4/1968 Sitz 29203 3,386,153 6/1968 Lau et a1. 29--203 GIL WEIDENFELD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29203; 8 l-9.5l 

